Brad Mills-USA TODAY SportsMike Shanahan's future as coach of the Washington Redskins is in doubt after a 3-10 record in 2014 and reported disagreements with owner Dan Snyder.

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Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan’s job security took a dramatic turn for the worse last week. The cause for concern has not only been the Redskins’ poor play, but also revelations about apparent dissension between Shanahan and owner Dan Snyder.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported that the team is looking into whether it would be able to fire Shanahan for cause in an attempt to withhold money owed to him.

It has been a disastrous season for the Redskins, who finished 10-6 last year and won the NFC East for the first time since 1999.

If the Redskins (3-10) fire Shanahan, Snyder should consider several ex-Redskins who have NFL coaching experience as candidates. That includes Russ Grimm, Ken Whisenhunt, Greg Manusky and Todd Bowles. They played under coach Joe Gibbs in the glory days of the 1980s and early 1990s, when Super Bowl wins came every few years and the organization was one of the best in the NFL.

First, though, back to Shanahan and the turmoil surrounding the current Redskins.

Shanahan’s already suspect status as Redskins coach for 2014 did not get any better last Sunday when the Redskins were blown out 45-10 by the Kansas City Chiefs in the snow at FedEx Field.

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Redskins owner Dan Snyder

The Redskins came out flat against the Chiefs and appeared unprepared to play for at least the third time this season. In losses against the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City, Washington has been outscored by a total of 88-17 in the first half.

Now, speculation is mounting that Snyder will fire Shanahan because of disagreements between the two.

According to a report by ESPN.com's Dan Graziano, Shanahan was prepared to leave the Redskins at the end of last season. The article states through a source that Shanahan disapproved of what he perceived to be favoritism Snyder was giving to star quarterback Robert Griffin III over other players.

Then, Wednesday, he announced that backup Kirk Cousins would start Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons and for the rest of the season, and Griffin would be deactivated to prevent him from getting injured.

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Shanahan said Wednesday he will deactivate quarterback Robert Griffin III for the final three games of the season.

Eyebrows were raised at the timing of the decision, since Shanahan had recently said Griffin needed to continue to play to prepare for next season. The Redskins were also eliminated from playoff contention a week before playing Kansas City, and the slippery conditions Sunday could have increased the chance for an injury to RGIII.

Maybe Shanahan really is trying to keep Griffin from getting hurt behind an offensive line that has surrendered 25 sacks in the last five contests. Or perhaps he's trying to show that he's still the boss of the team, though that may not be true much longer. Or maybe he's daring Snyder to fire him so he can collect the final $7 million left on his contract for next year.

If Shanahan and son Kyle, the team's offensive coordinator, leave the Redskins, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett would almost certainly depart as well because a new coach would likely want to choose his own assistants.

In the 15 seasons Snyder has owned the Redskins, they have made the playoffs only four times. Much of his tenure has been marked by poor drafting, overpaying free agents who did not live up to expectations and discord within the organization.

He granted Shanahan complete control of the team when he hired him four years ago, and it appeared until recently that any problems the Redskins had were not between Snyder and Shanahan.

During the first Joe Gibbs era from 1981 to 1992, the Redskins name was synonymous with winning. The team appeared in four Super Bowls and won three. Just as important, the organization was known for stability, character and hard work, not to mention talent great enough to create a dynasty. Things were done the right way.

The coaches placed a high priority on special teams. The players had a blue-collar work ethic. Gibbs and his staff had an ability to deal with strong-willed or quirky personalities such as Dexter Manley and John Riggins.

But Shanahan’s hard-line stance did not work well with quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2010, and for whatever reason, talented tight end Fred Davis spent most of this season on the bench, even when he was healthy.

If the Shanahans do not return to Washington in 2014, should Snyder consider hiring a former Redskin who played during the Gibbs Super Bowl era in an attempt to restore some of the greatness of the past? He has already tried hiring a great college coach (Steve Spurrier), a former Super Bowl winning coach (Shanahan) and a coach with no head coaching experience (Jim Zorn), and not much has worked.

When Snyder lured Gibbs out of NFL retirement in 2004, it seemed like a coup. Gibbs led the Redskins to two of their four playoff appearances under Snyder. But the Hall of Fame coach also posted an overall losing record (30-34) in his second go-round with Washington.

Some of the Redskins who played under Gibbs during his first stint with Washington are now successful coordinators and assistants who are ready for NFL head coaching opportunities.

The former Redskins who are defensive coaches also played under defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon, who crafted stellar defenses with players who were not considered as talented as those on the current Redskins offense. Petitbon was famous for confusing quarterbacks with halftime adjustments.

If Snyder hires one or more of the Redskins listed below, guys learned under Gibbs and Petitbon, it just might turn the team’s direction around...as long as Snyder runs the organization in a professional way.

Russ Grimm

Grimm started at left guard in all four of the Redskins’ Super Bowls under Gibbs. The former Hog was named to the NFL All-Decade team of the 1980s and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

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Former Redskins Hall of Fame guard Russ Grimm has 21 years of experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

The Redskins often featured Grimm in a famous “counter-trey” play in which he and left tackle Joe Jacoby would pull from the left side to the right side to lead running plays for John Riggins, George Rogers and Earnest Byner.

Grimm coached the Redskins’ tight ends and then the offensive linemen from 1992 to 2000. He coached the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line from 2001 to 2006 and earned a fourth Super Bowl ring after the 2005 season. From 2007 to 2012, he was the offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals, helping them to their only Super Bowl appearance after the 2008 season.

In 2004, Grimm was considered for the Chicago Bears’ head coaching position. He was nearly hired to be the head coach of the Steelers in 2007, but he narrowly lost out to Mike Tomlin.

If Grimm was good enough to almost get the Steelers job at a time when they were competing for Super Bowls, why has he been overlooked several times as a potential Redskins head coach?

Grimm’s expertise would also likely improve the blocking of the offensive line, which has been one of the Redskins' biggest weaknesses this season. The linemen in Shanahan’s scheme have helped Alfred Morris become a great running back but have failed in pass-blocking, leaving RGIII on his back far too often.

A hiring of the no-nonsense coach would send a message that for the first time in a long time, the Redskins are making the offensive line a priority, which would be critical in preventing RGIII from suffering more injuries.

Unlike the other current NFL assistant coaches who are former Redskins, Grimm has name recognition as a former player, as a Hall of Famer. He would have instant credibility with the players. Hiring a former offensive lineman as coach could also lay the groundwork for a return to the idea that successful teams are built with a solid foundation in the trenches.

The Redskins haven’t been consistently good for more than two decades, but a hiring of Grimm could restore some of the luster to a franchise that has gone from one of the most respected in the NFL to one with less stability than most teams.

Ken Whisenhunt

Whisenhunt played only two games for the Redskins as a tight end in 1990, but he was successful as a head coach, leading the Arizona Cardinals to their only Super Bowl after the 2008 season.

Though the Cardinals had stars Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, Warner appeared washed up four years earlier with the New York Giants, and he experienced a resurgence under Whisenhunt’s direction.

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Ken Whisenhunt coached the Arizona Cardinals to their only Super Bowl after the 2008 season.

The Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh was a remarkable achievement for Arizona considering the Cardinals have made the playoffs just five times since the notoriously cheap Bill Bidwell took over the team in 1972. Two of those playoff appearances came under Whisenhunt.

Whisenhunt was fired as Cardinals coach last year, but this season, as offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, he's helped another quarterback improve his game following a couple of off-years. With Whisenhunt calling the plays, Philip Rivers has thrown 28 touchdowns and just nine interceptions while completing 70 percent of his passes—a personal best.

Whisenhunt was also Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator from 2004 to 2006, helping the Steelers to a Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 after the 2005 season.

Greg Manusky

Casual or young fans may not remember Greg Manusky, who played middle linebacker for the Redskins from 1988 to 1990. But he was one of the Redskins’ top tacklers in his final two years with the team, finishing with 72 in 1989 and 88 in 1990, good for third and fourth on the team, respectively, despite starting fewer than half the games.

Manusky went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings and the Chiefs. After retiring, he coached the Redskins linebackers in 2001. He then coached linebackers in San Diego, and he spent time as the defensive coordinator for San Diego, San Francisco 49ers and now Indianapolis Colts.

In the two seasons Manusky has coached the Colts defense, Indianapolis has improved its scoring defense from 28th in the NFL in 2011 (before he arrived) to 21st in 2012 and 16th so far in 2013. He switched the team from a 4-3 defense to a hybrid 3-4 scheme when he arrived in Indianapolis, still using elements of the 4-3 defense.

As a former standout special teamer for the Redskins, Manusky could also help bring Washington’s horrid special teams back to respectability.

Todd Bowles

Bowles started at free safety on the Redskins team that won Super Bowl XXII, 42-10, over the Denver Broncos after the 1987 season. He played for the Redskins from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 1993, intercepting 14 passes for Washington.

Bowles has been coaching as an assistant in the NFL since 2000, and this season, he became a defensive coordinator for the first time for the Cardinals. His specialty is the secondary, one of the areas in which the Redskins desperately need help.

Bowles is presiding over a Cardinals defense that ranks fifth in the NFL in overall defense and seventh in scoring defense. At 8-5, Arizona is surprisingly in the playoff hunt in the NFC.

Emmitt Thomas

Thomas, the current secondary coach for Kansas City, didn’t play for the Redskins but coached their secondary from 1986 to 1994, during which time Washington won two Super Bowls.

Thomas, who had 58 career interceptions as a cornerback for Kansas City, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008, along with former Redskins Art Monk and Darrell Green. His specialty, interceptions, is one of the Redskins’ most glaring weaknesses.

At age 70, he may be a little old to be a head coach, but he would be a strong candidate as a secondary coach if he could be lured away from Kansas City.

Earnest Byner

Byner started in Super Bowl XXVI after the 1991 season for the Redskins, who defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24. He came two yards short of rushing for 1000 yards for three consecutive seasons in 1992. He was known as a strong runner who played with heart and was named as one of the 80 greatest Redskins.

Williams led the Redskins to a 42-10 rout over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII after the 1987 season. The team set a record by scoring five touchdowns in the second quarter, and Williams was named Super Bowl MVP.

Williams has not coached in the NFL, but he coached at Grambling State University, where he starred in the 1970s, from 1998 to 2003 and 2011 until September of 2013. He led Grambling to four Southwestern Athletic Conference titles in his eight full seasons as coach.

Williams could be a candidate to become quarterbacks coach for the Redskins and serve as an intermediary between Griffin and the new offensive coordinator. He had some rocky times as Tampa Bay’s quarterback before leading the Buccaneers to a surprising berth in the NFC championship game after the 1981 season, his fourth in the league.

Darrell Green

Green was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. One of the fastest cornerbacks in the history of the NFL, he played 20 years for the Redskins on three Super Bowl teams, winning twice. He was famous for running down opposing running backs as Tony Dorsett and Eric Dickerson.

Green advised Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall on how to improve his game last summer, and Hall is having one of his best years in recent memory. He and other ex-Redskins could be brought in during training camp to work with players to improve their technique.

The Redskins have been downtrodden for most of the last two decades, only making four playoff appearances in that span. The perception of the franchise has also fallen from one of the best in the NFL to one of the worst. At times, the organization has even been called a laughingstock.

Hiring former Redskins who played during the franchise’s Super Bowl years just might help the team regain respect and its winning ways. These guys learned under Gibbs and have had success as players and head or assistant coaches.

Grimm is more than qualified for the job. He could oversee the team and hire coordinators that fit his system. Whisenhunt would also be an excellent choice as a proven head coach. If he were hired, he could choose Grimm as his offensive line coach.

If Snyder fires Shanahan, former Redskins Grimm and Whisenhunt would be good candidates. They were successful coaches in Arizona, and before that they learned winning ways as coaches in Pittsburgh—and, of course, as players with the Redskins.